Raycevick's Recommendations: April 2017

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Not very original, I admit, but that's only a testament to Ghost in the Shell's brilliance. As discussed prior when I recommended Black Lagoon, I'm anything but an Anime connoisseur. Prior to this film, all I watched before was Cowboy Bebop; I enjoy that show very much, but for me, Ghost in the Shell was when I understood Anime's beauty.

Much to my preference, Ghost in the Shell is grounded, visceral, and thought-provoking. It's action feels stylized, not unrelatable as I find snippets of Anime to be; but more important to the film are its concepts.

What I particularly love about Ghost in the Shell is like many great movies that are analyzed to this day, people may claim it to be a deep film, but it's story and structure is rather simple. It's not that there's a vast list of ideas in Ghost in the Shell. It's that the ideas presented are vast... and infinite.

Yeah, I couldn't resist the pun.

Circle of Dust - Machines of Our Disgrace

Trent Reznor may have only released an EP in 2016, but Klayton's resurrected Circle of Dust project more than makes up for the lack of a Nine Inch Nails LP. The album isn't flawless. It's songs often go on for a minute longer than they need to and some tracks are stronger than others, but it's an album I keep coming back to, more than Scandroid or End of an Empire, Klayton's other excellent albums he recently produced.

The grungy synthetic sounds mixed with heavy guitar riffs and Klayton's voice are an absolute banger, and the sound is utterly unique, even when compared to 90's Industrial influences like NIN, KMFDM, Gravity Kills, or Circle of Dust.

It's fitting that I placed this in the same list including Ghost in the Shell, as Alt_Human - my favorite track - is heavy inspiration for a Ghost in the Shell video game I have in-mind, both in visuals and storytelling.

If you'd like a taste before listening to the Album, check out Alt_Human or Neophyte on Youtube.

SUPERHOT

Superhot is one of the best games I had to play for review. Having loved its prototype demo that aired online years ago, the final product is an excellent foundation. Both in style and gameplay.

For the uninitiated, SUPERHOT is a FPS where time only moves at normal speed when you move. When standing still, the world's in pure bullet time. It's an idea that seems gimmicky on paper, but makes perfect sense upon playing. It's brilliant in how easily it lures in new, and veteran players. Whether they're thrilled due to recreating favorite moments from the Matrix, or cutting up enemies with a sword before throwing its sharp end into someone's face, SUPERHOT is a riot.

The game's greatest fault is that it's campaign is laughably short - 2 hours or less - and as its the first game, its depth can be exhausted after a couple hours. I wouldn't pay full price for it, but when its on sale, grab it. Combine its fun story with the arcade modes and unlockables to chase after - ones that actually unlock new ways to play - SUPERHOT is a must for shooter fans, but easy to recommend to anyone.